Design Innovations

Advanced Nuclear Technology

NuScale Power is leading the way in how energy is generated, and it all starts with a smarter way of looking at energy generation. The NuScale Power Module™ design eliminates many costly, complex systems while cutting-edge manufacturing cuts time and cost of production. The result will be a power source that is simultaneously safe, reliable, scalable, carbon-free, and economical. Continuous improvement is a philosophy that has been integrated into the entire design process.

Features of the NuScale Power Module

No AC or DC power for safe shutdown and cooling: The NuScale plant’s non-reliance on AC or DC power for safety has greatly simplified the electrical systems including a unique arrangement of battery arrays that increases DC power reliability for post-accident monitoring systems.

Helical Coil Steam Generators (HCSG): The use of compact HCSGs provides increased heat transfer surface area in a small volume with very low pressure drop to maximize natural circulation flow. The once-through counter-flow design enables the generation of steam superheat and good thermal efficiency without the use of reactor coolant pumps.

High strength steel containment immersed in the cooling pool: The NuScale containment acts as a heat exchanger to provide reactor cooling and pressure control, eliminating the requirement for containment spray systems for cooling.

Small, efficient core design limits source term: The NuScale reactor has 1/20 of the nuclear fuel of a large scale reactor. Its small decay heat, inherent stability, and reactor physics eliminates fuel damage in all design basis events including those with failure of all control rods to insert. For beyond design basis events, radiation from fuel damage is below safe limits at the plant site boundary.

Digital Instrumentation & Control (I&C): NuScale’s proprietary field programmable gate array digital I&C system provides comprehensive monitoring and control of all plant systems in a single control room. The control room layout and panels are being designed using a state-of-the-art simulator as part of a comprehensive human factors engineering and human system interface.